GRATTAN. 249 of the law, and therefore, might impose on the public as a government by law; such was the addition of two unne cessary commissioners; such were the unnecessary salaries for four officers of the stamps; such were the additional salaries to four officers of the ordnance; such, in short, the creation of fourteen new parliamentary places, and of eight or nine parliamentary pensions, in the course of less than twelve months. These measures import their own criminality, and bespeak, on the part of his majesty's ministers, a design to govern this country by sapping the foundation of her liberty. They called upon us to dis allow them ; they called upon us to withdraw our confi dence from the ministers by whom they were imposed; but they went no further. They did not appear to be accompanied with any overt act, whereby the criminal designs of their authors could be substantiated by evi dence enough to punish their persons; they were good reasons for dismissing the ministers for ever from his majesty's councils, but not grounds for personal punish Inent. “But there is another part of this project, wherein his majesty's ministers have not only attempted to un dermine the constitution, but have actually broken the laws; for that part of the project, we conceive h i s ma jesty's ministers t o b e impeachable. Sir, the sale o f honours i s a n impeachable offence; the crime speaks itself; but t o take the point out o f doubt, I will state t o you a case; the Duke o f Buckingham, i n the reign o f Charles I . was impeached o n thirteen articles, and the ninth article was the sale o f honours; the very crime, o f which the ministers o f Ireland have been guilty. He was impeached for the sale o f a peerage t o Lord Roberts for 10,000/. “The House o f Commons i n support o f the impeach ment, stated the heinousness o f perverting the ancient and honourable way o f obtaining titles o f honour. They urged the crime o f taking away from the crown, the fair and frugal way o f rewarding great and deserving servants. They stated the crime o f shuffling promiscuously and
